Most of us have blood work done as part of a regular physical examination and the older we get the more important it is to keep an eye on blood sugar levels. As we age most of us tend to carry more pounds than we would like and this can add to blood sugar levels being out of normal ranges.
Normal range for adults is 80-100 mg/dL after fasting overnight. Extra pounds can be an indication of insulin resistance and your blood sugar level may be higher than 100 mg/dL. While just slightly higher is not a diagnosis of diabetes it does bear watching. This condition is called impaired fasting glucose and is typical of a prediabetes condition.
Another test that is done is the OGTT or oral glucose tolerance test. After fasting overnight you take a standard dose of glucose and then your blood sugar is checked after two hours to see how well your body deals with the added blood glucose.
A blood sugar reading on this test of 140-190 mg/dL is high, but not considered a diabetic condition; it’s called impaired glucose tolerance. Over 200 mg/dL is considered a diagnosis of diabetes.
If your test numbers are still in the high range and are called impaired of some type or another, immediate action is required to reverse these readings and get back to a normal blood sugar level. Two things are important, but probably not easy to implement. They are change in diet and an increase in exercise.
Exercise is important because exercising your muscles makes them use up their glucose stores and require more to replenish themselves. This is good because there is now more room for the blood sugar to go and get out of your blood stream.
Change in diet is the other change and making sure you eat at least three meals a day, with breakfast being one of them and changing the makeup of the meal to include more vegetables and fruits, whole grains and lean meat.
That probably means you will have to cook for your self and no more processed foods or fast-food stops. Change may be hard, but it’s better to do it earlier than later.
photo credit: Biology Big Brother